Rcd

suej

Guest
I took my 11yr old pride and joy in for a habitation check and it came back with a couple of F's for fail :scared:, one being for not having an RCD.

I understand that all new motorhomes and caravans have to have them but is it mandatory for older vehicles to have them? From what I've managed to find on t'internet it's not compulsary to have one fitted retrospectively but the service engineer says it is. I know that they can be a lifesaver and am not against having one but I don't really understand where they go or what they look like. Do they have to be permanently fitted or attached to the EHU wire? I know, I know I'm thick :confused:

My 'van' is a Frankia and has an elektroblok 264/9 and also has a seperate small fuse box next to it. Does the elektroblok have a built in RDC? Can it be damaged if I get one fitted?

The other 'F' was that the regulator was not fitted to UK standard...it was factory fitted and is a German van and is not unsafe ,but still gets a big fat F!

Thanks for reading. Any information welcome

Sue :)
 
suej said:
I took my 11yr old pride and joy in for a habitation check and it came back with a couple of F's for fail :scared:, one being for not having an RCD.

I understand that all new motorhomes and caravans have to have them but is it mandatory for older vehicles to have them? From what I've managed to find on t'internet it's not compulsary to have one fitted retrospectively but the service engineer says it is. I know that they can be a lifesaver and am not against having one but I don't really understand where they go or what they look like. Do they have to be permanently fitted or attached to the EHU wire? I know, I know I'm thick :confused:

My 'van' is a Frankia and has an elektroblok 264/9 and also has a seperate small fuse box next to it. Does the elektroblok have a built in RDC? Can it be damaged if I get one fitted?

The other 'F' was that the regulator was not fitted to UK standard...it was factory fitted and is a German van and is not unsafe ,but still gets a big fat F!

Thanks for reading. Any information welcome

Sue :)
Click to expand...

The RCD is a Residual Current Device, it would be part of your 240v fuse box when fitted, and detects an inbalance between live and neutral (red and black cable in old colours and brown and blue in new cable colours). You can tell if you have a RCD fitted because there would be a 'Test' button on the consumer unit (fuse board).
Your elektroblok cannot be damaged if you fit a RCD unit, but it could save it from being damaged.
Easy to change, but RCD units are not cheap.

Don't know about the regulator. ;)
 
Thanks guys. My van was brand new in 2003 ..I've only had it a year. I't's had annual habitation checks since new ( I have them all) and nothing has ever been flagged up, so thought I'd continue just to be on the safe side.

Sue :)
 
I would imagine that the electrics are reported the same way as we do gas. A fail in my world would imply unsafe, from the situation you have described I would mark it NCS (not to current standard) ...in a motorhome technically a 2001 van 28/37 mbar regulator which was the norm would now be NCS it doesnt imply anything dangerous
channa
 
Pendel said:
I have no RCD in my van, but when I do connect to the house mains supply or visiting friends I use my own rcd at the plug end where the adapter goes. On site I just use the ehu as it is as they have RCDs fiited in the box. It is not a fail - my house circuit has no rcd just the old fashioned fuse box - does that fail as well? I think the habitation check is a bit naff anyway - what is they can check that I cannot do myself. Gas appliances are pretty robust and require not much attention. Fridge - blow off the ignition bit once a year and make sure it is not corroded etc. Simples. Just fit a CO detector in the van.....
Click to expand...

I would be very reluctant to use a van that is supplied from a TN-C-S supply without using an RCD, RCD's are very cheap and easy to fit.
 
Thanks very much for your input everybody. This afternoon I emailed Allan Evans at A&N caravans who specialise in Schaudt elektroblocks. He is a very helpful and knowledgeable man, and tells me that Frankia motorhomes have a different 240v distribution unit to UK motorhomes in that they don't always have an obvious test button and that most German vans are the same. By law in Germany, all motorhomes have to have an RCD earth leakage device, so I am perfectly safe. Think my habitation checking engineer needs to learn about foreign made vans..and me too!

Sue :)
 
so it would perhaps be useful to know where it is ???

Your testing engineer doesnt know, You dont know we dont know ....so far non the wiser ...so where is the little miscreant ?

Channa
 
channa said:
please explain why !....what is TN-C_S ?

Channa
Click to expand...


"TN-C_S A system in which neutral and protective functions are combined in a single conductor." The cable that supplies my house has a single core around which are strands of copper conductors. At the cable head in the house the strands of copper are separated to provide neutral and earth.
 
shortcircuit said:
"TN-C_S A system in which neutral and protective functions are combined in a single conductor." The cable that supplies my house has a single core around which are strands of copper conductors. At the cable head in the house the strands of copper are separated to provide neutral and earth.
Click to expand...

Does the same as three core cable then but in a different format ? provides live earth and neutral ...but the construction is cheaper but not as durable as 3 core better still armoured 3 core ? Hence Sparks distrust ?

Channa
 
channa said:
Does the same as three core cable then but in a different format ? provides live earth and neutral ...but the construction is cheaper but not as durable as 3 core better still armoured 3 core ? Hence Sparks distrust ?

Channa
Click to expand...

The Neutral and Earth conducter are connected together at the REC cutout (mainfuse) in the house, this means you only have two wires coming into the house Live & Neutral - should the Neutral conductor break before the next earthing point (towards the REC's transformer) then everything connected to earthing system of that supply would then become energised, not that common but it does happen.
 
sparrks said:
The Neutral and Earth conducter are connected together at the REC cutout (mainfuse) in the house, this means you only have two wires coming into the house Live & Neutral - should the Neutral conductor break before the next earthing point (towards the REC's transformer) then everything connected to earthing system of that supply would then become energised, not that common but it does happen.
Click to expand...
read it a couple of times and perhaps got the gist ......i.e energised wires or cables are bad news ? touch them. our carcass becomes the earth and an afro if we are lucky vidal sassoon would be proud of ?

So in terms of simplicity?, earth neutral live traditional 3 core is better....take it a stage further ...we then fit a RCD to stop serious monkey business?...MCB's are allocated to each appliance/ circuit one of them trip we can quickly establish what is giving fault ... deals with the adolescent monkey business ?

Channa
 
channa said:
read it a couple of times and perhaps got the gist ......i.e energised wires or cables are bad news ? touch them. our carcass becomes the earth and an afro if we are lucky vidal sassoon would be proud of ?

So in terms of simplicity?, earth neutral live traditional 3 core is better....take it a stage further ...we then fit a RCD to stop serious monkey business?...MCB's are allocated to each appliance/ circuit one of them trip we can quickly establish what is giving fault ... deals with the adolescent monkey business ?

Channa
Click to expand...

Current flows to earth down through the conductor, if the conductor breaks it is 'live' to that point - if there is any earthed metalwork connected, before the break, then it will become 'live' as well. This is with reference to the Neutral conductor in a TN-C-S supply.

MCB's are for overcurrent and short circuit protection, RCD's are for earth fault protection
 
suej said:
I took my 11yr old pride and joy in for a habitation check and it came back with a couple of F's for fail :scared:, one being for not having an RCD.

I understand that all new motorhomes and caravans have to have them but is it mandatory for older vehicles to have them? From what I've managed to find on t'internet it's not compulsary to have one fitted retrospectively but the service engineer says it is. I know that they can be a lifesaver and am not against having one but I don't really understand where they go or what they look like. Do they have to be permanently fitted or attached to the EHU wire? I know, I know I'm thick :confused:

My 'van' is a Frankia and has an elektroblok 264/9 and also has a seperate small fuse box next to it. Does the elektroblok have a built in RDC? Can it be damaged if I get one fitted?

The other 'F' was that the regulator was not fitted to UK standard...it was factory fitted and is a German van and is not unsafe ,but still gets a big fat F!

Thanks for reading. Any information welcome

Sue :)
Click to expand...
Caravan Motorhome Engineers ? they go on a course probably for a day or two and receive a certificate that enables to be experts in carrying out all these various tests and checks to your van , personally I don't think so . If you need an electrical check get an Electrician and for your gas and heating a Heating Engineer .
 
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